Puppy Love

For the last couple of years, as our cocker spaniel aged, my husband and I decided to embark on a new “pet project.” We knew we didn’t have much time left with our beloved Sasha, so we discussed and researched different breeds of dogs. We considered my son’s and husband’s disabilities. We determined that the popular cross between golden retriever and poodle, known as a goldendoodle or groodle, would be a perfect fit.

At first, my husband liked this designer breed on paper, but he thought he wanted a more manly dog, and these just seemed to fluffy and girly for him. We attended a family event at my daughter’s university and saw a young man playing fetch with a gorgeous, agile dog. My husband said, “See, that’s what I want.” He decided to talk to the Frisbee-thrower himself and was informed that this was a goldendoodle with a short haircut. That’s all it took for my husband to realize these beautiful mutts could be cute and fluffy, while still being manly and sporty.

A couple of years later, we now own two standard sized goldendoodles, a miniature goldendoodle, and a standard poodle. Since he is home during the day, it is primarily my husband’s job to take care of our pooches, grooming and training them.

We recently bred our two first doodles to produce a litter of puppies. We’ve researched genetic testing, gestation in dogs, and marketing. What a learning experience this has all been! While he has been in charge of the physical care of our dogs, I’ve been in charge of the social media and marketing aspect. Of course, I’ve had my personal social media accounts for years, but really trying to develop a presence for my pups has been quite an undertaking! I’ve learned more about Instagram than I ever thought I needed to know and learned to build a Wix website. They’ve even become Influencers (a term meaning that sponsors send us free/reduced pet-related items in exchange for us posting pictures and reviews)!

This time with our Tiger, Sugar, Bijoux, and Dixie has been busy, rewarding, and educational. If you would like to learn more about them, feel free to check out their website (www.bbbgoldendoodles.com). To keep up with their shenanigans, please follow them on Instagram (www.instagram.com/bensbestbuddy). I would love more feedback on both sites… because I’m still learning!